This month we started the #FaceOfConstruction campaign to question how people in the sector are seen. We wanted to start to show that even though the industry might not be as diverse as we would like in its visual representation that does not mean that there isn’t diversity in its opinions, interests and beliefs.

The Face of Construction campaign aims to show that working in the built environment sector can be an important part of who we are – but it’s not all of it. We believe that by showcasing existing difference in the sector it will encourage those inside the sector to feel more confident about valuing difference and help those outside the sector to see the opportunities that the industry has to offer to just about anyone.

We would love you to get involved by sending us a photo of you and your colleagues holding a board stating your name, your job title and something we might not expect about you - just like we have. You can do this via email, twitter,
facebook or pinterest.

For your chance to win a £20 John Lewis voucher just answer three questions about the newsletter through the Constructing Equality Ltd Website.

This month we have been enjoying the tweets sent out by @FensecLtd who are Specialist Sub-contractors dealing with Fencing & Security, Automatic Gates, Bollards, Barriers, Turnstiles, Gabions, Designers & Constructors.

Bridget Bartlett, the CIOB’sChief Operating Officer, has been appointed to chair the Construction Industry Council’s Diversity Panel, taking over the role from structural engineer Jane Wernick.

The CIC Diversity Panel is a forum for representatives of the industry’s professional bodies and external advisers, working to identify and promote diversity policy and activities within the construction industry.

Its current work includes collating diversity statistics from CIC member groups, to update the data published in a CIC report on diversity in 2009.

The group also currently runs a mentoring programme, called Fluid, and evening networking events.

Speaking to Construction ManagerBartlett said: “The industry is still overwhelmingly white, male and able-bodied, so we’ll be looking at how we can attract and retain a variety of people so that construction starts to reflect society at large.”
“We’re working on collecting data to establish a baseline of where we are and what the direction of travel should be. It will also be interesting to see whether the recession has had an impact on the diversity agenda.”

She added: “The panel is going to have some new members and there will be a lot of talent bringing their expertise to the debate.”

Bartlett joined the CIOB as Chief Operating Officer in 2008, with a portfolio which includes education, examinations, membership services, international development and IT.

Graham Watts, CIC Chief Executive, said: “I am delighted to welcome Bridget to this new role. Her extensive experience in education and her leadership capabilities will be a great asset in taking forward our work on diversity and access. She will be leading a new panel, which contains a wealth of experience from across the broad spectrum of CIC’s membership.”

Anecdotal evidence suggests that some pregnant women experience discrimination while on maternity leave or on their return to work. However, there is no up to date evidence as the most recent data goes back to 2005.

The project will investigate employers’ practices towards employees who are pregnant or on maternity leave, and these employee's experiences in the workplace to provide evidence on the extent, causes and effects of pregnancy and maternity discrimination. This information will enable the Commission and Government to shape the most appropriate response.

The Commission proposed the project to the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) as part of a package of measures to address Equality and Human Rights, and Secretary of State Maria Miller has confirmed the funding to support this project.

Education for both employers and employees nationally will be key to tackling this issue and the Commission will assess how best to raise awareness of pregnancy and maternity rights.

'It is very concerning that in 2013 a number of women are still being disadvantaged in the workplace just because they are pregnant. That would be unlawful discrimination and needs to be tackled.'

'We will look at existing research, gather new evidence and carry out our expert analysis to establish the extent of the problem and advise on how best it can to be addressed.'

*Union slams blacklisting compensation scheme

Just when it looked like the major contractors were doing the decent thing by setting set up a compensation scheme for all the people they had prevented from earning a living, their scheme has been damned as “a complete travesty of justice”.

Construction unionUCATT, who has not been involved in any discussions regarding how the scheme will be set up or operate, has described the proposed compensation scheme for victims of blacklisting as “a blatant attempt to gag blacklisted workers”.

Aspects of the scheme that are causing particular concern to UCATT include:-

The scheme will not represent an admission of liability by the companies involved in blacklisting.

A condition of taking part in the scheme would be for a blacklisted worker to drop all other legal claims.

Compensation payments would begin at just £1,000.

The scheme would be open for only a year.

A twin-track approach is proposed, with a so-called fast-track method being offered for workers to receive fixed amounts depending on the information on their blacklisting file.

There is no intention to hold hearings into the claims of blacklisted workers and the majority of cases would be resolved on paper, behind closed doors.

Only blacklisted workers, where their addresses have been identified, would be informed of the scheme.

While all decisions would be made independently by a High Court Judge, there will be no input from the unions or the workers who were blacklisted themselves.

“Transgender Day of Remembrance serves as an opportunity to remember those who were brave enough to be themselves and had the courage to express who they are, but tragically lost their lives for doing so.”

”Everyone should be treated fairly and with respect, regardless of who they are. The Government believes that everyone should be able to live free of fear and of violence, and we are committed to ending the prejudice which can blight people’s lives and lead to hatred and violence.”

In December 2012 the Government amended the Criminal Justice Act to include transgender identity as an aggravating factor; this means courts now have the power to increase the sentence length for crimes motivated by hostility towards the victim. The starting point for murders aggravated by transgender identity was also increased from 15 years to 30 years.”

Transgender Day of Remembrance acts to bring attention to the continued violence against the trans community and to raise awareness of the importance of inclusion. It was started to honour the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence that year and began an important memorial.

*CITB – Be Fair Accreditation Framework Pilot Update

TheCITB Be Fair pilot is continuing along, with December looking like it will be the busiest month so far for our assessors. Over the next few weeks: -

will all be visited. We would like to wish them all good luck, and thank them for taking part in the pilot.

With many of the companies assessed over the last two months having been analysed, the first batch of results will be sent out shortly.

*Advertise your Vacancies here

If you have a position that needs filling, and would like to reach our readers (approximately 6000 and rising), then let us know. We have a varied readership ranging from entry level to CEO's of major companies. Importantly the one thing they share is an interest in fairness, inclusion and respect.

So if your looking for people who share the values of your organisation why not sent us over your job details.

Submissions for either should be sent toMattidealy 250 words or less with a link to more information and a job spec.

If you would like further help finding out how you can use positive action to make sure you attract the most diverse pool of candidates possible, let us know and we can either signpost you to relevant information or provide a consultation service.

GOOD PRACTICE *Arup – Engineering Equality

*Arup – Engineering Equality

“If we can reach a stage where each man or woman is respected for the job they do, and is doing his or her best because the atmosphere is right, then we are home.” Ove Arup

The group is modelled on Connect Out, the first Arup LGBT Diversity Network launched in London in 2010. Like its sister groups now established in Australia and the USA, the Singaporean network will be open to employees of other professional services regardless of their sexual orientation.

At Connect Out’s inaugural lecture last year, Lord Browne of Madingley, former CEO of BP and President of the Royal Academy of Engineers, spoke movingly about the working environment he encountered on starting his career.

Due to an atmosphere of homophobia, he chose to hide his sexuality for many years – a decision that left him deeply unhappy.

People are sceptical of the power multi-national corporations exert over governments and society. In many cases, rightly so but through globalisation, companies have the ability to export not only goods and services but human rights. Whilst LGBT colleagues in Singapore are celebrated by the firm for the diversity they represent in the workplace, the moment they step out of the office door they face being pilloried by society.

The challenge is how companies can best support progressive voices in countries like Singapore that are bravely speaking out with the simple message that all people should be treated equally, regardless of their gender, race, religion or sexual orientation.

In the words of Alan Turing, “We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done”

*Construction Ambassadors

The secondISG ‘Construction Ambassadors’ Training Course’ took place on 10 June in the Northern region, with eight keen ISG team members participating in a one day training session. The course helps to prepare employees to become effective ambassadors by honing presentation and communication skills, especially when engaging with younger audiences.

They also opened up the course to external delegates, with representatives from Kier Group and Morgan Sindall participating in the session, helping to build relationships and share experiences with other contractors in the region.

Feedback from the session was extremely positive, with one delegate commenting: “I really enjoyed the course and found it very useful. The instructors were really friendly, approachable and helpful and I enjoyed the informal nature of the course."

Organised by the HR team, the first Construction Ambassadors event took place in Scotland in February 2013. Linking in with ISG’s Equality and Diversity Action Plan, one of our main objectives is to raise awareness of the wide range of career opportunities within the construction industry that are available to a diverse range of young people within local communities.

Construction Ambassadors are the faces of our industry, sharing positive experiences about the sector, revealing the wealth of career opportunities available and challenging preconceptions about this vital driver of the UK economy. The initiative is managed by CITB.

In addition, ISG offers work experience opportunities for those interested in gaining a valuable insight into the wide variety of career opportunities available in the construction industry. For more information on this please speak to HR Advisor - Cheryl Madden 0161-836-1789.

*Engineering apprenticeships attract disadvantaged students

Morgan Sindall have forwarded a case study around a new apprenticeship scheme that has attracted hundreds of applicants - many from disadvantaged backgrounds. The scheme, which is the first to give direct access to professional accreditation through a work-based route, has proved especially attractive to students from non-traditional backgrounds.

In London this September, 80% of new recruits were from disadvantaged backgrounds and 67% from minority ethnic groups. The apprenticeships scheme was initiated by the Technician Apprenticeship Consortium (TAC) in 2010 and later partnered with the Royal Engineering Academy (RAEng) to unlock and access pools of untapped engineering talent such as young women and people from minority ethnic and less advantaged backgrounds.
Philip Greenish, Chief Executive of the RAEng, said: “The UK needs more skilled engineers. The development and success of these apprenticeships will help meet increasing demand for qualified engineers by widening access to the profession while at the same time contributing to social mobility.

“Specific actions for employers seeking to increase their skills base are laid out in the TAC’s report.

It is also good to see very similar recommendations in the recent Manifesto for Change published by the Social Mobility & Child Poverty Commission this October 2013, confirming that the consortium is heading in the right direction.”
At an event hosted by RAEng on November 7, attendees heard that over the past three years, the scheme has grown from eight to more than 400 apprentices, whilst the number of companies participating in the TAC has risen from six to 30. TAC now has a model of good practice which involves a network of Further Education colleges, employers and professional engineering institutions.Read more

EVENTS *Association of Women in Property Christmas at the Panoramic, Liverpool with Women in Property

*Association of Women in Property Christmas at the Panoramic, Liverpool with Women in Property

Join the Association of Women in Property in Liverpool for a fabulously festive evening of drinks and nibbles at the glorious Panoramic, where we will have sole use of the stunning private Penthouse Suite. This event is open to all within the property and construction industry, and with limited places available - it is advisable to book early to secure your place.

Join the Association of Women in Property in Manchester for a fabulously festive evening at the trendy restaurant, Avalanche. The event is being hosted in one of the luxurious event spaces where you will be able to network with fellow professionals in a relaxed, fun and festive atmosphere. You will be treated to welcome drinks on arrival and delicious canapés during the evening. This event is open to all within the property and construction industry - it is advisable to book early to secure your place.

Joseph Harker is the Guardian’s Assistant Comment Editor. He is a former editor and publisher of the weekly newspaper “Black Briton” and prior to that was Assistant Editor at The Voice.

Nicoletta Charalambidou is a renowned discrimination and fundamental rights lawyer based in Cyprus, Vice-Chair of ENAR – Brussels, Steering Committee Member of an anti-racism NGO – KISA – Action for Equality, Support & Anti-racism, and a highly regarded speaker.

The event is free to attend. It takes place on 5 December at NCVO, London NW1.

These great speakers are lined up to inspire anti-racism and race equality NGOs to work together to define the key issues for 2014 and how the expected divisive, anti-immigration and anti-human rights rhetoric in the UK can be countered.

*Teams ready for CIOB Global Student Challenge

Teams from universities in Australia, the U.K., Hong Kong and the US are among the first to sign up to compete in the CIOB’s new Global Student Challenge - an online construction business simulation game.

The competition kicks off in February, stretches over six rounds, and will see teams of four degree students attempt to navigate their way through a series of challenging tasks while acting as the Board of Directors of a virtual construction company.

The Challenge uses Windows-based MERIT software, which was first developed at Loughborough University in 1988 to train young professionals as part of modules in their degree programmes; MERIT has also been widely used as a staff training tool, with more than 200 employers in the industry using the system.

The top six best-performing teams in the competition will be invited to go head to head at a final to be staged in the Far East in July 2014, with the CIOB covering the cost of flights and accommodation.
The overall winners will then be awarded places on a prestigious leadership development course where they will receive mentoring and assistance in their career development.

Each team of four students in the Global Challenge will act as the virtual company's Board of Directors and can appoint two local non-executives to mentor and advise, but not actively participate in the team’s decision making.
The non-executives must be under the age of 35, one being a local CIOB Novus member.

Registration for the CIOB Global Student Challenge runs until February 2014. It costs £295 per student team up to and including five teams from the same institution, with a lower rate for subsequent teams.

AWARDS *Workingmums.co.uk announces the winners of its Top Employer Awards 2013

*Workingmums.co.uk announces the winners of its Top Employer Awards 2013

Workingmums.co.uk has announced the winners of its fourth annual Top Employer Awards, celebrating the leading companies in family friendly working.

The Awards were presented on 5th November 2013.

Winner of the Overall Top Employer award was Atkins[pictured are, left to right: Victoria Jones from Atkins, Amanda Sourry from Unilever and Annemarie Flynn from Atkins]. They were praised by judges for the range of initiatives they were undertaking on flexible working and women's career progression in a tough economic environment and a male-dominated sector.

The judges also commented on strong case studies, a high level of flexible working among men, female leadership targets and a clear drive and strong business case for diversity in a sector where this was not the norm.

Awards were presented for eight other categories, including a new category on Career Progression, introduced to reflect moves to increase the female pipeline as a result of targets for women on boards.

*Maxiflow Ltd – The UK’s Most Considerate Company

Maxiflow were judged to have put in place the most considerate standards of construction and made the greatest contribution towards improving the image of construction. Due to their efforts, they were presented with both a Gold Award and the “Most Considerate” title.

Though the Scheme reviews the company's considerate performance as a whole, the Scheme's Monitors visit a small selection of their projects to make the assessment. One such project visited by a Scheme Monitor was the refurbishment of an old toilet area into a fully-equipped disabled toilet unit within an existing day-care centre which caters for dementia sufferers.

Although this was a particularly short duration project, the company demonstrated its real commitment to delivering a quality product to considerate standards. The work area was particularly restrictive, but the insertion of a discreet door lock to prevent dementia-suffering day care patients inadvertently entering the area was commendable, as was the use of the zipped dust sheet affixed to the door frame.

With the addition of innovative directional signs, exceptional cleanliness and a highly co-operative stance, the operation demonstrated that even a small site can do something special.
In addition to the company itself supporting various local organisations, the Scheme Monitor noted several examples of local fund-raising activities carried out by individual employees, showing that the culture of support for the community runs throughout the company. This is also reflected in the company's recently-launched Accesswatch scheme, a website and mailing list which aims to keep members of the public informed about scaffolds, excavations and other access-impairing works carried out by Maxiflow.

Combined with elements such as supporting staff in gaining additional qualifications and offering a number of health services, this company's considerate effort was of an exceptionally high level and a great example to the industry of what can be achieved on the smallest projects.

RESEARCH *Measuring Up

*Measuring Up

Monitoring Public Sector Equality in Scotland -

Between May and October 2013, theEquality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) conducted ‘Measuring Up?’, a programme of work to monitor listed authorities’ compliance with the Equality Act (2010) (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012, which set out actions to support listed authorities’ to meet their public sector equality duty in Scotland.

This monitoring programme was carried out in 3 stages -

Stage 1: EHRC staff monitored listed public authorities’ against the requirements in order to be able to publish information, as required by the following duties:

The EHRC published the results of this assessment in June 2013 'Measuring Up? Monitoring Public Authorities’ performance against the Scottish Specific Equality Duties'

Stage 2: The EHRC commissioned a review of listed public authorities’ performance of the employment duties. All listed authorities’ are required to take steps to gather and use employee information recording:

Composition of its employees in relation to their relevant protected characteristics;

Recruitment, development and retention of employees in relation to their relevant protected characteristics.

The findings of this work were published September 2013 in 'Measuring Up? Report 2: Monitoring public authorities’ performance of the employment duties'

Stage 3: The EHRC commissioned a more in-depth review of listed public authorities’ equality outcomes.

Measuring Up? 3 reports on the extent to which public bodies have met their legal duties in relation to publishing equality outcomes and information on their employment practices and is available here: ‘Measuring Up? Report 3: Monitoring public authorities' performance of the Scottish Specific Duties’

*Research report reveals experiences of disabled people in the workplace

A new research report shows that unfair treatment, or discrimination at work, is part of a large pattern of disadvantage for disabled people, including lower employment rates, poorer quality jobs and multiple barriers to work.

Prepared by The EHRC, Research Report 88 (Barriers to employment and unfair treatment at work: a quantitative analysis of disabled people’s experiences) can be downloaded from their website.

Analysis of the Fair Treatment at Work Survey 2008 shows that disabled people were much more likely than non-disabled people to say they had experienced some form of unfair treatment, discrimination, bullying or harassment at work in the previous two years (27 per cent compared with 17 per cent).

Specifically, 19 per cent of disabled people said they had experienced unfair treatment, 12 per cent discrimination, two per cent sex-based harassment and

14 per cent other bullying or harassment.

Disabled people were also more likely to say that they had experienced other incidents in the previous two years “in a negative way” involving work colleagues, clients or customers.

More than a third (37 per cent) say they had been treated in a disrespectful or rude way, 23 per cent that they had been insulted or had offensive remarks made about them, 14 per cent that they had been humiliated or ridiculed in connection with their work, and nine per cent that they had experienced actual physical violence at work.

In the 2010 Citizenship Survey, 15 per cent of disabled people in England and Wales who had looked for work in the previous five years said they had been discriminated against when they had been refused or turned down for a job; double the proportion for non-disabled people (seven per cent).

*Calls for evidence on ‘Balance of Competences’: Social & Employment

A two-year governmentreview of the balance of competences between the UK and EU was announced by the Foreign Secretary in July 2012.

The Balance of Competences Review is intended to provide an informed and objective analysis of what EU membership means for the UK and our national interest. It is looking at the scope of the EU’s competences (the power to act in a particular area) as they affect the UK, as well as how they are used.

There are currently two calls for evidence that are relevant to Equality and Diversity Forum members and those concerned with Equality and Human Rights, the following is details of one of them: -

Social and Employment Review
The Call for Evidence: Social and Employment Review was launched on 29 October 2013 by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

It is being led by BIS, jointly with the Department for Work and Pensions, the Health and Safety Executive and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

It will consider areas such as equal treatment, employment rules, social protection and health and safety at work.

The aim of this project is to show the people behind the construction industry, and to help build stronger links with the community.

Usually when people refer to diversity they talk about the diversity that they see or recognise; someone’s race, sex or disability. In an industry like construction where visible diversity is often lacking there can be a tendency to see everyone as the same: - the builder becomes a stereotype of a macho, hardened man; the QS, a staid controlling introvert; or the architect becomes a pair of fashionable glasses.

I happen to think these stereotypes are not only outdated but damaging - people who I know to be warm, caring and compassionate can act out of character in order to fit the norm imposed upon them. Whilst there is obviously a need to recruit, retain and support minority groups in industry, is there not also a need to celebrate and encourage the diversity we already have in the sector – even if we can’t see it?

We think so, in fact we see acceptance as a gateway-drug to better relationships, innovation and happiness in the workplace. With this is mind we are putting together a little campaign and we would like to know what you, the folks of the construction sector, think of it.

The premise is that just because you see me, it doesn’t mean you know me - we want to break out of our stereotypes and encourage others to see the diversity in the sector that we don’t always bring to work. We want to collect pictures of people working in construction with a board telling us 3 simple things

Your name

Your job title

Something about you which does not fit the stereotype of your job role.

As you can see from the picture, I’ve started us off (any chess fans out there can find me on Chesscube or Chess.com). We hope to eventually use these pictures through social media to show the fascinating range of individuals in our sector; to highlight that being a builder (or other construction professional) is an important part of who we are, but not all of it, and it does not define our personalities, interests or beliefs.

So if you, like me, celebrate the diversity in the industry why not email, tweet, Facebook or pinterest your own mini biography #faceofconstruction and help us showcase the diversity of the 2.3million people working in the sector.

*Double your donation to PEAS in December

Double your donation to PEAS in December
For the last few years PEAS have been lucky enough to take part in Christmas appeals which have allowed our supporters to double their donations to PEAS. This year they are delighted to be able to give our supporters the opportunity to do so again after being chosen in the Big Give's 2013 Christmas Challenge. The scheme gives you the chance to donate two blackboards instead of one, or even to help build a classroom or a sanitary block! Very simply, it allows your donation to have an even greater impact.

From 10am on Thursday 5th, through to Saturday 7th December 2013 you can double donations (for free) to PEAS made through their profile page on the Big Give website.

Not only could your donation be doubled, but if you are a UK tax payer they can also claim gift aid, allowing them to do even more with your gift!

A £10 donation with gift aid and doubling becomes £22.50 – enough to buy textbooks for FOUR children in a PEAS school.

A £25 donation and with gift aid and doubling becomes £56.25 – enough to pay for TWO chalkboards, helping children to learn in a PEAS school

A £100 donation with gift aid and doubling becomes £225 – enough to create a permanent place in a PEAS school that will educate many children in years to come.

Whatever you are able to give could be doubled and used to help more children go to secondary school in Uganda and Zambia.

Simply go to the page on the Big Give website from 10am on Thursday 5th, through toSaturday 7th December and make your donation by debit or credit card.

Your doubled donation can support PEAS to educate 13,000 children next year across our network of schools in Uganda and Zambia. Achieving this in 2014 will be possible if we can continue to expand our existing 22 schools in Uganda and Zambia.

Please put 5th December in your diary and help us make the most of this once-a-year opportunity.

Diversity Equals Quiz

For your chance to win a £20 John Lewis voucher just answer three questions about the newsletter through the Constructing Equality Ltd Website.